Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1887-09-07
EVIDENCES Il WEAK CAUSE.

And when our legislators are made ac-
quainted, as they certainly will be before
they act upon the Cascade county bill,
with fact that this measure is pushed for
the sole and exclusive benefit of an incor-
ated company, itself owned and controlled
by a gigantic railroad company which is
now spreading its lines over the territory,
there is no danger of their giving the odl-
Gus scheme a moments serious consider
alton.
The foregoing is from the River
Press of the 31st instant, and is but a
specimen brick" of a whole coulmn
of the same sort. II our space per-
mitted we would be glad to publish
the article as a whole, as presenting
the best possible evidence of the fact
that the opponents of Cascade county
are left without a single argument
upon which to base their actions; 9th
wise there would be no resort to dem
agogueism of this character. This
has been the only cry OF the River
Press since the discussion began-an
appeal to the supposed prejudices
against corporations rather than the
presentation of arguments of any
kind calculated to show that the new
county should not be created. No
pen could more forcibly portray the
weakness of their cause than this
course of procedure on the part of the
opposition to Cascade county.
But when the River Press states
that this measure is pushed for the
sole and exclusive benefit of an incor-
porated company" it utters that
which it must know is wholly at vari-
ance with the truth. The demand for
the creation of this county is not
stronger at Great Falls than in other
sections within the boundaries named.
That portion Of Meagher to be includ-
ed in the new county, from the Fer
gus county line to the Missouri river
at Chestnut, is solid for division; and,
we believe, every single person in
the Choteau county strip that
will be ceded to Cascade, favors the
new county. The petitions that will
go to the Legislature, containing the
names Of most Of the residents of the
section named, establish beyond ques-
ton the truth Of these statements.
Instead Of being a movement for the
sole benefit of an Incorporated COM
pany," it is a popular one in the full
est and freest sense. ..
The only opposition to the bill
within the lines Of the new county
comes from Sun River and is found
ed wholly upon prejudice and a desire
which is rapidly assuming the form
of a disease-on the part of the owner
of that hamlet to make it a county
seat. For the past six Or eight years,
and until quite recently, Sun River
urged and struggled for the county of
Dearborn, but now that Great Falls
has grown up and become the natural
center of the county to be created in
this section, it is suddenly discovered
by Sun River that there is not wealth
and population to warrant division"
and no new counties should be Great
ed until Montana becomes a state!
Nothing could more clearly show the
animus of the Sun River opposition,
and we submit that in view of the cir
cumstances of the case, that it is en-
titled to the least possible weight or
influence.
With the exception of this spas
modic protest, the result of disap-
pointment and prejudice, the residents
of the new county are solidly in favor
of the measure, and the petitions to
go to the Legislature will prove it. So
far from being "a movement in the
sole interest OF an incorporated COM
pany," it has the heartiest support of
~nine-tenths of the residents of the
proposed county. The only outside
opposition comes from a few of the
residents Of Fort Benton, and these
people have become SO accustomed to
fighting county division, that they
really cannot help it. Their efforts
are in a manner automatic. No mat
ter how just its claims, a county divis-
ion bill could not be presented that
would not meet with opposition. and
that which is offered to the creation
of Cascade is OF a very light character
by comparison.
NO GOOD OBJECTION.
We have before us the three alleg-